tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40450452011-10-10T17:57:44.429+01:00random meanderings, crass generalisations, pot shots at easy targets and over-wordy piffle about music since 1994 (OK, since 2002 at this address, but let's not get picky). get in touch: charlie.ivens@gmail.comCharliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comBlogger1331100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-88530660803462058882011-02-19T15:00:00.003Z2011-02-25T15:13:14.494Z

Gruff Rhys – “Hotel Shampoo launch” @ Gresham Hotel, BlackpoolThere are a few ways to make the first visit to a new town less fun than could be hoped for. A constant drizzle, non-existent hotel bookings and the words “bus replacement service” are but three front-runners, so kudos to Blackpool for good-naturedly providing Team TLOBF with all of ‘em.After seven hours of travel our alternative hotel

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-62803038775811517722011-02-04T17:54:00.002Z2011-02-07T18:06:36.601Z

Efterklang presents An Island, a film by Vincent MoonA so-called “abstract documentary” about the band (sort of) and, well, an island off the coast of Denmark (sort of), An Island is 48-odd minutes – or perhaps an odd 48 minutes – of pure, unfettered artistic collaboration, documented Dogme-style. Sounds unwatchably pretentious? It’s precisely the opposite.The aim, cooked up by Moon and the

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-49079872077882151412011-02-03T18:00:00.003Z2011-02-07T18:07:51.998Z

Hurts + Clare Maguire @ Brighton Dome, 2 Feb 2011To be fair, it’s not Clare Maguire’s fault. No doubt she didn’t ask to be put on a tour with one of 2010’s most heartening pop success stories, and who knows, maybe she didn’t hand-pick her band, or choose her songs or single out the dress that’s wearing her tonight. She’s got a Cher-sized ‘80s power ballad monster of a voice, for sure, but I’m

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-22386405157511103032011-01-26T22:40:00.002Z2011-01-26T22:50:43.572Z

Sea Monsters festival: Brighton’s Kraken wakesWhat more appropriate name than Sea Monsters could promoters One Inch Badge have chosen for their first ever festival in Brighton? We’re choosing to assume it’s a reference to the Wedding Present album of the sameish name, combined with a cheeky tilt at the host city’s coastal location. Whatever the truth – and we don’t really care what that is – Sea

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-5307060841346846932011-01-17T16:23:00.001Z2011-01-31T16:39:38.734Z

Midwinter Picnic 2011 - a Spotify playlistOn Sunday 16 Jan 2010 I had the pleasure of playing other people's tunes before, between and after the bands at the second Midwinter Picnic [Facebook link with footage filmed on the day], a delightful, ramshackle affair held at West Hill community hall in Brighton.The bill (assembled by Chris T-T) was made up of the sublimely eclectic likes of Paris-based

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-31027341179442117012011-01-04T11:56:00.001Z2011-01-10T12:21:14.028Z

2010 - The Full Stop (a Spotify playlist)Here's my very personal impression of the 12 months that made up 2010, in the form of a 50-song Spotify playlist. If you're looking for some idea of the kind of music that makes my synapses fizz, for whatever reason, this might help.Allo, Darlin' – If Loneliness Was ArtThe Divine Comedy – The Lost Art Of ConversationJohnny Flynn – The WaterRobyn – Dancing

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-43230575422304792492010-11-08T21:21:00.001Z2011-01-10T09:37:02.812Z

Peak-era Pulp line-up reforms for Primavera, Wireless 2011Following months of rumours and increasingly feverish interweb speculation, various quarters have now confirmed that Pulp are reforming to play a select handful of festival shows in 2011.The classic line-up of singer Jarvis Cocker, bassist Steve Mackey, violinist Russell Senior, keyboard player Candida Doyle, guitarist Mark Webber and

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-62201135129590239562010-11-03T21:29:00.001Z2011-01-09T22:51:57.062Z

The Decemberists – ‘Down By The Water’ // Song Of The Day #164Not, has we had at first excitedly thought, a cover of the sinister PJ Harvey blues-beast – although just sit back and think for a second how awesome that might’ve been – The Decemberists’ first new material from forthcoming album The King Is Dead (out in January) sees Colin Meloy & co on melancholy, harmonica-accentuated form. As “

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-74949495177731361202010-11-01T16:58:00.008Z2011-01-10T12:27:08.646Z

Chrome Hoof @ Brighton Corn ExchangeMany hours have been squandered down the decades in a largely fruitless effort to tuck every band into a tidy box, a place where it can happily gambol around with all its musically similar chums – as if such a concept would naturally produce concord and mutual respect. So what to do with Chrome Hoof? Perhaps incredibly, they’re not the first band to wear

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-45799309331371131952010-09-24T17:04:00.001+01:002011-01-09T21:28:20.760Z

Bright Light Bright Light @ The Lexington, London 22 Sep 2010From the get-go, there’s an atmosphere in here that brings to mind a ‘20s speakeasy, stylish ladies and gents who know how to make their way around a beauty counter without turning into Quentin Crisp. Onstage, however, it’s a different matter.Stage right, two girls, frowning as if their (Gladys K)night depended on such an expression,

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-72212855482971964252010-09-14T09:16:00.002+01:002011-01-10T09:26:20.599Z

Foxtrot Festival @ Stanmer House, BrightonWhile the UK’s lumbering major festivals seem doggedly intent on getting even bigger, the boutique end of the market is holding on to the charm engendered by havin’ it tiny. And so it is that a stone’s throw from the University of Sussex, in the garden and rooms of a fine 18th-century mansion, Brighton’s Willkommen Collective bring a day of folkish music

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-54259416214099371062010-07-22T20:50:00.001+01:002011-01-09T22:13:01.101Z

Latitude 2010 (Sunday) @ Henham Park, SouthwoldSunday begins, as all Sundays ought to, with a manly baritone floating brassily across the fields. But special guest Tom Jones (back for a second time this weekend) doesn’t sully our fragile brains with ‘Sex Bomb’ and its irksome like: he sticks to his “controversial” new album and promptly out-blueses John Lee Hooker on an impressive cover of ‘

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-10038855762481321242010-07-15T21:01:00.001+01:002011-01-09T22:13:27.276Z

Latitude 2010 preview – Going Against The FloFollowing last year’s triumphant triumvirate of main-stage headliners – Pet Shop Boys, Grace Jones and Nick Cave – the droids behind the Latitude festival were going to have to go some to top their triple-whammy coup of Proper Living Ledges.So what wonders have they come up with to light up the main stage over three glorious, deathless nights this time

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-63474787331565574272010-06-16T10:01:00.002+01:002011-01-10T10:06:25.170Z

John Grant @ Jazz Café, LondonMuch play has been made of John Grant’s voice, and sure enough, it’s a beautiful baritone, ripe with individuality, able to express amusement, doubt and seemingly boundless sorrow with equal gravitas. All of this is evident on his soup-to-nuts wonderful, recently released Queen Of Denmark album – if less so on the albums of Grant’s former band, The Czars, wherein his

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-16920446542414976482010-04-27T21:15:00.003+01:002011-01-09T21:49:32.298Z

The Magic Numbers @ Le Pigalle, LondonIt's easy to forget how famous The Magic Numbers have been. Their eponymous debut landed the London-Trinidad-NYC quartet a Mercury Prize nomination in 2005, and while second LP ‘Those The Brokes’ failed to make the same impact, this can arguably be put down to the growing pains of a band fighting to make their mark on a music landscape that ill suited their

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-67332775280073208782009-07-26T22:30:00.003+01:002011-01-09T22:40:59.417Z

Secret Garden Party 2009 @ a secret location, Huntingdon, CambridgeshireJust to up the unique selling points in an increasingly crowded festival market, this year’s Secret Garden Party attendees have been nominally divided into two tribes – Eden and Babylon – and have been asked to dress accordingly. On arrival onsite, we were therefore unsurprised to see grown men dressed as snakes and apples, a

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-24345516478671265572009-03-03T22:23:00.003Z2011-01-09T22:30:33.258Z

Amanda Palmer and The Danger Ensemble @ The Corner Hotel, Melbourne We can count on two fingers the number of gigs we’ve seen that have started with a wake, and both featured Amanda 'Fucking' Palmer. Last October, Londoners witnessed the Dresden Dolls singer/pianist filling a sold-out Koko with drama and laughter - not to mention Steampunk physical theatre, courtesy Brisbane troupe The Danger

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-12723213616992576442008-04-19T22:02:00.002+01:002011-01-09T22:14:01.071Z

Camden Crawl, Day 3 @ various NW1 venues, London Camden Sprint, more like... yes, this catastrophically lame observation just about conveys the full extent of my brain power following nine solid hours of jostling, beering, banding, fiddling, queuing and eughing on the streets of London's Trendy Camden. Eighteen official venues plus a healthy smattering of unofficial gig spots results in an

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-26159124274999475022008-04-03T21:43:00.003+01:002011-01-09T21:48:20.742Z

Band Of Horses @ Koko, London For all their beards, down-home authenticity and uncomplicated phrasing, Seattle-born, Carolina-based Band of Horses are the closest America’s come to creating a Coldplay – a bona fide stadium-conquering music-for-the-masses phenomenon – for quite some time.Whether or not this is a good thing is open for extensive, shouty debate. But before you decide, hear this:

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-64673947836880624182008-03-05T21:51:00.001Z2011-01-09T21:53:35.781Z

Casiotone For The Painfully Alone @ Bush Hall, LondonComing across like a sarcastic, gadget-obsessed Philip Seymour Hoffman joining Future Bible Heroes, shambolic unrock poet Owen Ashworth surveys the room with benign diffidence from behind a Professor Frink-esque pile of machines. Probably well aware that half of his compositions barely feel like songs at all, his artlessly abrupt, power

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-77677236755988609922008-02-29T22:00:00.001Z2011-01-09T22:02:19.896Z

Vampire Weekend, Sparkadia @ Audio, Brighton Dismissed by an Antipodean mate as “fluff Aussie majors put out in time for summer”, Sydney four-piece Sparkadia certainly boast a well buffed pop sheen. But radio-friendly new single ‘Too Much To Do’ and significantly weightier fare like ‘The Plague’ mark them as more than makeweights. Vampire Weekend inevitably take the night though, with what seems

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-61757581430667999922008-02-29T21:57:00.002Z2011-01-09T21:59:44.076Z

The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart @ Buffalo Bar, London If you’ve ever hankered after a world where it is forever 1987 – where grunge, acid house and even Riot Grrrl never happened – come to a Pains Of Being Pure At Heart gig. The New York quartet offer an unashamed rerub of C86-esque indie-pop as was carved in stone by The Wedding Present way back when, and crikey they do it well. ‘This Love Is

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-70234584218140741262008-02-27T21:54:00.001Z2011-01-09T21:56:29.747Z

Madam @ 12 Bar Club, London Madam - aka Sukie Smith - looks familiar, and only a post-gig Google browse reveals why: she played Max Branning’s ex in EastEnders! But it’s the release of her debut album In Case Of Emergency that’s filled the (admittedly pocket-sized) venue to bursting. Downbeat but intriguing, Sukie and band wade through album highlights ‘Call America’ and ‘Superfast Highway’ like

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-54622029023093118342007-08-30T20:45:00.002+01:002011-01-09T22:15:19.284Z

múm @ Museum of Garden History, LondonA band whose self-confessed obsessions include sand, chickens and “larking about by the river”, it’s hard to think of a London venue more pastorally appropriate for Icelandic collective múm than the Museum of Garden History. Housed in a 400-year-old church a stone’s chuck from St Thomas’s Hospital, its glass cases full of trowels and (literally) old rope

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-22880610669471911372007-08-27T17:10:00.002+01:002011-01-09T17:12:59.601Z

Superthriller – Superthriller 2: The ReturnSuperthriller’s last long-form release, The Blank Album, was exactly that: a CD-r empty save a Word document containing a code, allowing the purchaser to access a section of the London trio’s website chock-full of tracks to be burnt in any combination onto the disc. By the band’s own cheerful admission, the idea went down “like a pork chop at a Jewish

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-42733319615364378522006-07-01T02:51:00.001+01:002008-06-08T03:02:40.726+01:00

Neko Case @ Shepherd's Bush Empire 24 May 2006For someone whose music is ostensibly serious – a dark blend of earthy Americana and gospel-tinged country – Neko Case is in a buoyant mood. Joshing with her backing singer and recounting lewd stories, such contrast could seem disrespectful in the hands of the less adept, but Case carries it off – and when she sings, she stuns. Her strident,

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-83297645545700466282006-06-01T02:37:00.000+01:002008-06-08T02:42:55.385+01:00

The Automatic – Not Accepted Anywhere (B Unique)“Let's go see Raoul!” How many of you thought that was about the footballer? In fact, The Automatic's singer Rob Hawkins wrote these lyrics in a state of straw-clutching despair: Raoul runs a cafe near the South Walian quartet's studio – that the result was one of this album's handful of highlights is some reward. Furthermore, new single 'Monster' –

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-14195124232594954592006-06-01T02:27:00.001+01:002008-06-08T02:36:32.300+01:00

Final Fantasy – He Poos Clouds (Tomlab)Once you get past this album's thoroughly off-putting title and discover that FF, aka Owen Pallet, is in fact The Arcade Fire's string arranger, He Poos Clouds makes more sense. Pallet's tricks are two: he plays violin with often jaw-dropping sensitivity and emotion, and he makes fruitful use of a looping pedal. This album adds an elegant string quartet to

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-24212751343673797202006-05-01T02:16:00.000+01:002008-06-08T02:22:40.415+01:00

The Presets – Beams (Modular)On planet electro 2006, there are admitedly the fun-but-shallow likes of White Rose Movement and The Modern to contend with. But then Australian duo The Presets come along, and the competition crumbles. Beams is simply the finest electronic album since Depeche Mode's Violator, bringing together Moroder, acid house, Kraftwerk, Pet Shop Boys, The Human League, Orbital

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-35163040925927256792006-05-01T02:04:00.001+01:002008-06-08T02:13:52.563+01:00

Psapp – The Only Thing I Ever Wanted (Domino)“Songs with little noises poking out” is how Psapp (the “p” is silent, as in water) describe themselves, and while this may seem unhelpful, it's surprisingly accurate. German Carim Clasmann and adoptive Londoner Galia Durant choose their Domino debut to focus more closely on their quirkily wonderful take on left-handed glitchpop. The effect pitches

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-15445592229324075812006-05-01T01:55:00.000+01:002008-06-08T02:01:03.323+01:00

Neal Casal – No Wish To Reminisce (Fargo)New Jersey singer-songwriter Neal Casal has been dutifully sticking out albums for the last decade, creating barely discernible but nonetheless extant ripples on the US and mainland European scenes. This, his 12th long-player, doesn't deviate in any way from his well-worn template of heartfelt, chiming Americana, not a million miles from, say, Neil Finn or

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-4721642921927776022006-05-01T01:37:00.001+01:002008-06-08T01:54:33.984+01:00

Hot Chip – Warning (EMI)It was only two years ago that Hot Chip showed up with 'Down With Prince', a bizarre, jerky sideswipe at the sort of fairweather fans many bands rely on but most would rather not have to. If you don't mean it – really mean it – then don't bother trying, they seemed to say. It's telling, then, that after an interesting but bitty and ultimately frustrating debut album, Hot

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-38829366821143691132006-04-01T01:31:00.000+01:002008-06-08T01:34:28.107+01:00

Semifinalists – Semifinalists (Regal Bear)Straight outta, um, Indonesia and bits of America, Semifinalists cram more ideas into any random 30 seconds of this record than is decent and reasonable. Of course, such an overflowing cup of cranial riches often sounds bloody awful, but the trio manages to keep hold of the reins for 40 whole minutes before everything gallops off. Mind-expanding hippie

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-52968615259948689602006-04-01T01:10:00.000+01:002008-06-08T01:23:58.962+01:00

The Flaming Lips – At War With The Mystics (Warners)This time, “something new again” is what we've been promised by more than one member of The Flaming Lips. In case you've been lost in space for eight years, '...Mystics' is the final installment of the trilogy which began with 1998's 'The Soft Bulletin' and blossomed into 2003's 'Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robots'. For those wondering where the

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-83770032662859565242006-04-01T01:02:00.000+01:002008-06-08T01:08:47.131+01:00

Nightmare Of You – Nightmare Of You (Full Time Hobby/Bevonshire)Nightmare Of You may look like The OC on toast, but these Long Islanders aren't mucking about. “I wanna kiss you on the mouth and tell you I'm your biggest fan,” is a line tailor-made for lovestruck fans to sing back at them – since the last band to sound this convincingly mid-80s and British and pop were The Killers, who knows what

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-24740356232184660032006-04-01T00:41:00.002+01:002008-06-08T00:56:53.952+01:00

The Rumble Strips - Let's Get Ready To Rumble feature“I listen to rock'n'roll/But I ain't got no soul,” runs one song. “If only this bike was a motorcycle/I'd be halfway home by now,” trills another. Bare-faced false modesty and commendable, whimsical ambition – just two of Devon leftpop mavericks The Rumble Strips' manifold qualities. Sat in a north London pub, the band – that's singer/guitarist

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-23151449898294118652006-03-01T00:34:00.000Z2008-06-08T00:39:06.049+01:00

Captain Black @ Kilburn LuminaireNot for them, the brave leap forward – Captain Black are happy, perhaps, to feed of north west London's Irish heritage and turn in a friendly, engaging and raucously enjoyable hourish of just-the-right-side-of fiddle-de-dee skiffle-folk. There's a lot to be said for engaging, caustic troubadourism – hey, The Wonderstuff made a decent enough career out of it – and

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-86066733660837767532006-03-01T00:22:00.000Z2008-06-08T00:32:44.869+01:00

Modify @ Putney Half MoonMainly Kentish – admittedly,stout-lunged singer Mark is a Kiwi – politely promising five-piece Modify zip through a tight, radio-friendly and even a bit sexy six-song set. With chiming Ride-ish guitars and deft keyboard licks to the fore, “Shadows In The Fall” and “Protocol” signify genuine promise and a Keane sense of melody. One for the mums?Charlie Ivens

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-38740764741416567532006-02-01T23:55:00.000Z2008-06-07T23:59:43.784+01:00

Kaito – live at London ICA 5th Jan 2006Kaito look knackered. Not just i've-had-a-long-day-at-the-call-centre tired: properly exhausted, not all that well and, from this angle at least, not a little desperate. Given their long and unreasonably tricky journey to still-haven't-quite-cracked-itville, it's hardly surprising, but it's nonetheless disquieting. Singer Nikki, still commanding despite now

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-91058498169337391772006-02-01T23:45:00.000Z2008-06-07T23:47:05.214+01:00

Various Artists - Strange Folk (Albion Records/Apace Music)A logical, merciful change of tack from the label which brought us 'Buddha Chillout': 'Strange Folk' is an imaginative and defiantly non-populist mix of psychedelic folk from the last 30-odd years. That means Nick Drake rubs bony shoulders with James Yorkston, and Joanna Newsom cosies up to Pentangle. It's like the ultimate Green Man

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-59650446708414859702006-02-01T23:41:00.000Z2008-06-07T23:44:37.995+01:00

Tiga – Sexor (PIAS)Tiga, the Canadian DJ and electroclash pioneer, clearly sees naffness as a badge of honour. Here, he finally shows up with a full-length album – complete with booty bass galore, unnecessary Talking Heads and NIN covers, and a guest spot from Jake Shears on highlight 'You Gonna Want Me'. It's a shallow pop rush, sure, but not half as clever as it thinks it is.Charlie Ivens

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-38993142162945694982006-02-01T23:30:00.002Z2008-06-07T23:40:58.204+01:00

Belle & Sebastian – The Life Pursuit (Rough Trade)Age does not weary Belle & Sebastian. Neither, in fact, does it persuade them to do anything wildly different from the shiny, whimsical and proudly poetic 60s-tinged guitar pop they've been chucking out with generally exponential success for the past decade. From 'Another Sunny Day''s “I took a photograph of you in the herbaceous border” to the

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-13482204840091218772006-02-01T00:14:00.001Z2008-06-08T00:20:14.770+01:00

The Infadels – We Are Not The Infadels (Wall Of Sound)Having snuck out an encouraging coterie of twelves of late, The Infadels’ album finds them in fine form. If you’ve ever wished Hard Fi actually sounded hard, this will hit the spot, pitched in the gritty hinterland between an Ibiza-bound New Order and Big Audio Dynamite’s post-post-punk pizzazz. ‘Jagger 67’ and ‘Can’t Get Enough’ impress

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-13017800215915113932006-02-01T00:01:00.000Z2008-06-08T00:07:24.489+01:00

The Broken Family Band – Live at London Water Rats 6th Jan 2006Fonda 500 were supposed to be supporting tonight, but that plan is scuppered by singer Simon's gammy eye. Instead, we're privy to the pleasure of two full Broken Family Band sets – one nominally quiet, one definitely loud – sandwiching Beatnik Filmstars' (if not triumphant then certainly compelling) first show since 1998. BFB singer

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1134820905447280232006-01-01T12:30:00.001Z2008-06-07T23:51:32.763+01:00

Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins – Rabbit Fur Coat (Rough Trade)The Voice is soft, floaty and warm, slipping effortlessly around lithe instrumentation and intoning alternately sweet/romantic and dark/thoughtful tales of love, God and un-PC outerwear. The Voice belongs to Rilo Kiley singer Jenny Lewis, and Rabbit Fur Coat, her solo debut, is a compelling and frequently remarkable journey through

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1134821360750245022006-01-01T12:02:00.000Z2008-06-07T23:29:08.561+01:00

The Beautiful New Born Children – Hey People! (Domino) album reviewDomino have done their best to shroud this release in mystery: an unmarked CD-R was allegedly handed conspiratorially to a member of staff by "someone" already signed to the label. But rudimentary sleuthing reveals The Beautiful New Born Children to be German. One of them plays guitar with electronic tricksters Schneider TM, and

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1134822068069443492005-12-17T12:09:00.000Z2005-12-17T12:22:24.416Z

Editors + The Kooks - London Barfly 5th December 2005 live reviewWhichever way you cut it, Editors have had a phenomenal 2005. One short year ago, they were strictly an underground concern, freshly signed to a small indie label and just about to release their debut single. And tonight, Editors (no, there's no 'The', for goodness's sake get used to it) stand before us like bashful conquering

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1132320739052735472005-11-07T13:28:00.000Z2005-11-18T13:55:49.683Z

Chris T-T – 9 Red Songs (Snowstorm) album review"Nobody’s got any good red songs anymore/And Billy Bragg’s gone fishing in his 4x4" – so sings Chris T-T on 'Preaching To The Converted', the closing track on this sadly anachronistic but deliciously effective album of very 21st Century protest songs. Sadly anachronistic, because he’s right: he may be the only man left who's brave and passionate

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1132320372899432762005-11-07T13:21:00.000Z2005-11-18T13:56:56.786Z

Various Artists - 1980 Forward - 25 Years Of 4AD (4AD) album reviewOver the last quarter century, 4AD has brought the world such undisputed underground figureheads as Pixies, Nick Cave (with The Birthday Party), Throwing Muses, The Breeders, Cocteau Twins and, er, Lush. The label even scored a surprise UK No1 in 1987, when Colourbox and AR Kane clubbed together as M/A/R/R/S and created the mighty

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1132321567162977072005-11-07T13:19:00.000Z2005-11-18T13:58:47.716Z

The Hot Puppies - London ULU live reviewFreshly signed to Fandango - the new label set up by Fierce Panda founder Simon Williams - The Hot Puppies know they have a lot to prove, but a sold-out ULU support slot proves not to be the early-days stumbling block experienced by, say, Razorlight in the past. The Cardiff-based five-piece are confident enough to kick off with new single 'Terry', its

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1132320044130703072005-11-07T13:17:00.000Z2005-11-18T13:59:54.566Z

Ray - Deep Blue Happy (Pito Records) album reviewWe need bands like London foursome Ray more than ever. Singer Nev Bradford has a downbeat baritone pitched somewhere between that of Tim Booth and Lloyd Cole; his brother Mark's guitar work shimmers like Nick McCabe's at its finest. Melancholy countrified pop has seldom felt so emotional and affecting: to hear Ray is to watch rain splashing into

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1132317107520872852005-11-07T12:22:00.000Z2005-11-18T14:03:24.170Z

Various Artists - Back To Mine - Roots Manuva (DMC) album reviewThe Back To Mine series, allowing artists to pick and choose a bespoke selection of late-night head-nodders, is still going strong after 20 releases. Having predominantly stuck with a fairly narrow selection of clubbing "personalities", it's great to see more diverse recent mixes from New Order, Richard X, Tricky and Pet Shop Boys (

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1129111396942029642005-10-03T16:59:00.000+01:002005-11-18T14:06:04.560Z

Richard Hawley - London Scala live reviewThe world's most down-to-earth crooner, Richard Hawley consults the lyric sheets on his lectern: "I took so much acid in the '80s, I can't remember a fucking thing," he admits, smiling and unrepentant. Grabbing songs from classy new album Coles Corner as well as from his coveted catalogue, Hawley boasts a voice somewhere between Johnny Cash growl and Scott

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1128693661734958312005-10-03T14:59:00.000+01:002005-11-18T14:07:54.520Z

The Chalets – Check In (Setanta) album reviewThe cleverest pop bands, from Pet Shop Boys to new pups The Pipettes, understand the importance of having a genre-defining theme tune. Irish quintet The Chalets, being both smarter and evidently more pop-savvy than a coach-load of McFly fans, have written a whole album of them. It's gloriously danceable and absolutely irresistible, like Le Tigre mixing

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1128693428169347932005-10-03T14:55:00.000+01:002005-11-18T14:11:03.070Z

David Ford - I Sincerely Apologise For All The Trouble I've Caused (Independiente/Magnolia) album reviewHere, former Easyworld singer Ford rationalises, analyses and generally does his best to work through what sounds like a disastrous car-crash of a relationship, with guitar and piano accompaniment. 'I Don’t Care What You Call Me' and 'Cheer Up (You Miserable Fuck)' might not bode well, but this

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1128693294848111912005-10-03T14:51:00.000+01:002005-11-18T14:12:37.530Z

Au Revoir Simone - Verses of Comfort, Assurance and Salvation (Moshi Moshi) album reviewEight tracks of shimmering electro-pop succour from New York trio ARS, who may as well have been cultured in a test-tube specifically for All Tomorrow's Parties regulars with one too many Stereolab records and a weakness for lissom ladies who know more about keyboards than boys. 'Through The Backyard' and '

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1128693110461394292005-10-03T14:49:00.000+01:002005-11-18T14:14:06.240Z

Animal Collective - Feels (Fat Cat) album reviewIt's possible, if pushed, to plot a psyche/rock line from Pink Floyd and Roky Erickson, via The Soft Boys and Julian Cope, to The Flaming Lips and Olivia Tremor Control, onto Super Furry Animals and beyond. Animal Collective fit somewhere among that cranium-expanding group; Feels, their second full-length album, is a fuzzfolk dronefest of

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1128691341296924932005-09-05T14:18:00.000+01:002005-11-18T14:15:07.360Z

Shout Out Louds - Howl Howl Gaff Gaff (Bud Fox/EMI) album reviewPhotogenic Stockholm chamber-pop five-piece Shout Out Louds breezed onto British shores earlier this year with a handful of moderately modest support slots and ambitious, delightful debut UK single 'Very Loud'. And now Howl Howl Gaff Gaff, a Cardigans-esque compilation of SOL's previous Scandinavian-only releases, is here - rejoice,

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1128691106463347762005-09-05T14:15:00.000+01:002005-11-18T14:16:12.210Z

The Dandy Warhols - Odditorium Or Warlords Of Mars(Parlophone/EMI) album reviewThanks to the twin weirdnesses of having their funniest - and possibly best - song on a TV ad, and being among the subjects of a critically acclaimed documentary (Dig!, well worth a slice of your life), The Dandy Warhols are now a strange kind of famous. But it seems that their detractors have had more impact than

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1128690382344343562005-08-01T14:00:00.000+01:002005-11-18T14:19:14.626Z

The Rakes – Capture/Release (V2 Music) album reviewWhose world is this? Bombs explode around London, and while we're arguing the toss about the Olympics and debating the dubious virtues of curfews for the under-16s, the G8 bunch only begrudgingly succeed in addressing the debt relief issue. And when you’re skint - and single, and lost in an anonymous town, looking for a soul you're sure you once

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1128690027492211952005-08-01T13:58:00.000+01:002005-11-18T14:20:44.666Z

Architecture In Helsinki - In Case We Die (Moshi Moshi) album reviewSomewhere in the Antipodes, Architecture In Helsinki are rubbing their hands and cackling "pigeonhole that, motherfuckers!". This glorious, fascinating album is all over the place, and all the better for it. The deranged work of a core of eight Melbournians – assisted by up to thirty-bleedin'-two others on instruments as varied

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1128689586248071872005-06-06T13:51:00.000+01:002005-11-18T15:09:17.973Z

Saint Etienne – Tales From Turnpike House (Sanctuary) album reviewCasual observers may think that Saint Etienne are yet to make an album which isn't a conceptual love-letter to The Big Smoke in all its grubby, doomed romantic glory. But following 2002's musically ambitious return-to-form Finisterre (itself the soundtrack to an elegiac film about England's capital), Bob, Pete & Sarah turn in a

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1128689460141202012005-06-06T13:48:00.000+01:002005-11-18T14:25:18.546Z

Roisin Murphy – Ruby Blue (The Echo Label) album reviewThose expecting an album of disco floorfillers will leave disappointed. Following the runaway success of Boris Dlugosch's chart-shafting remix of 'Sing It Back' five years ago, Roisin Murphy's band Moloko suffered an identity crisis from which they never really recovered. 2001's Things To Make and Do album milked the oddpop cow, but 2003's

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1128689268280117752005-06-06T13:44:00.000+01:002005-11-18T14:27:04.253Z

Malcolm Middleton – Into The Woods (Chemikal Underground) album reviewThe uncertain tone is set from the off. "I'll sell my guitar/Get an education," sings sometime Arab Strap chap Malcolm Middleton hopefully on the inappropriately jaunty 'Break My Heart' – "I'd rather have you/Than sing these shit songs". This unexpected attack of rational thought is capsized rapidy: "I’ll fuck my guitar/And I’

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1128689066731954772005-06-06T13:41:00.000+01:002005-11-18T14:30:10.800Z

Joy Zipper – The Heartlight Set (Mercury) album reviewNow past the label hassles typifying their last couple of years, laconic duo Joy Zipper are finding their feet – and their feet are playing trans-Atlantic Twister. Tabitha Tinsdale – she of the misleadingly childlike vocals and mischievous lipcurl – has one set of toes in Boston, wiggling along to Belly and The Breeders' chunky powerpop ('You’

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1128688902448137232005-06-06T13:36:00.000+01:002005-11-18T14:32:20.916Z

The Chap – Ham (Lo Recordings) album reviewIn part two of their "French food" series, wayward North-Londoners-by-proxy The Chap follow last year's gloopy debut The Horse with an album which delights in tipping a suitcase full of old rave samples into a cauldron full of grubby Krauty powerchords, Bontempi drums and "will these do?" vocals. Look, don’t expect any sense out of them, they left orbit

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1118480504505930262005-05-02T09:54:00.000+01:002005-11-20T11:00:35.286Z

The Magic Numbers - A Kind Of Magic interviewOn the eve of their biggest UK tour to date, West-London-via-New-York-via-Ireland-via-Trinidad sibling foursome The Magic Numbers enthuse their way through an hour in The Fly's company.Scene 1, January 2004I’m off to see Ella Guru at the Water Rats in London’s King’s Cross. Arriving early, I amble into the venue to find half a room full of people in

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1122189338165126472005-05-02T08:13:00.000+01:002005-11-18T14:59:15.323Z

Cut Copy – Bright Like Neon Love (Modular) album reviewThis LP’s inner sleeve boasts what looks like the bored doodlings of a music-obsessed schoolboy: naïve biro sketches of artists as varied as Giorgio Moroder, Guided By Voices, Chic, Fleetwood Mac and The KLF, headlined ‘Kings & Queens Of Pop”. So it’s little wonder that the Mylo-endorsed Aussies’ album squelches through melodic electro-pop

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1118483782981423642005-04-04T10:54:00.000+01:002005-07-24T08:08:30.236+01:00

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds – B-Sides and Rarities album review--------------------Musical offcuts of eyebrow-raising quality are rare; so when Nick Cave – a talented chap, by any measure – calls his new compilation “my favourite Nick Cave album” it’s worth a closer look. Indeed, only the churlish could feel short-changed by the album’s career-spanning 56-track girth: you can forgive the odd duff

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1118481696404903212005-04-04T10:20:00.000+01:002005-06-11T10:42:52.066+01:00

Caribou – The Milk of Human Kindness album review--------------------Whether you realise it or not, you probably know Caribou’s work already. Previously known as Manitoba, Canadian leftpop exponent Dan Snaith was (somewhat bizarrely) forced to change his moniker last year, after an obscure old US punker by the name of Handsome Dick Manitoba issued a trademark infringement subpoena against him. So

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1118481626866511902005-04-04T10:17:00.000+01:002005-06-11T10:42:02.016+01:00

Angil – Teaser For: Matter album review--------------------“I’m happy because we buried the hatchet”, insists enigmatic Frenchman Mickael Mottet enigmatically, while his enigmatic associates honk saxophones, hit guitars with Graham Coxon-shaped sticks and further the enigma that is Angil. At times not dissimilar to Herman Dune’s playful folk whimsy, ‘Teaser For: Matter’ excels when combining this

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1118483377475974182005-03-01T10:47:00.000Z2005-06-11T10:49:37.476+01:00

New Order – Waiting For The Sirens’ Call album review--------------------Everyone is falling over themselves to figure out how Peter Hook gets *that* bass sound, and how Bernard Sumner manages to make generally terrible lyrics sound meaningful. That Hooky, Barney and drummer/programmer Stephen Morris have been doing this for longer than half of their current fanbase has existed, might have some

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1118483144878394072005-03-01T10:43:00.000Z2005-06-11T10:45:44.880+01:00

Basement Jaxx – The Singles album review--------------------What a rush! Just under an hour of unabashed party music sticks a timely full-stop (or perhaps just a semi-colon – I don’t think they’re going anywhere) after six years of genre-bashing bassquake beats for Basement Jaxx. The two South Londoners have blossomed from house-oriented underground party-throwers into an impressively eclectic

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1118482813266893722005-03-01T10:33:00.000Z2005-06-11T10:53:40.586+01:00

The Scott 4 Free Rock Orchestra – E-S-P album review--------------------Scott 4 made a bizarre but affecting hybrid of Krautrock and country. Now Stetson-clad frontman Scott Blixen has decided the world needs an album of eccentric p-funk drawing a squiggly line between Grace Jones, Trevor Jackson’s Playgroup and, umm, watery 1970s prog. It’s unconvincing but occasionally amusing, not least on ‘

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1109856165586288262005-02-18T13:19:00.001Z2011-01-10T11:54:09.935Z

The Tears @ London Astoria - live review 16th Feb 2005 --------------------First, the new generation. Sadly, The Magic Numbers’ perfect blend of country, soul, hope and heartache proves to be too understated for a chattering crowd, buoyant in anticipation for tonight’s main attraction. Even the tremendous triptych of 'Love Is Just A Game', 'Love Me Like You' and 'Morning’s Eleven' fails to ignite

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1109002855375396402005-02-08T15:55:00.000Z2005-03-03T15:25:39.276Z

The Arcade Fire - Funeral album review-------------------- Canadian six-piece The Arcade Fire’s 2004 debut gets a UK release with the burden of expectation weighing heavily on its shoulders, thanks to its poll-topping Stateside acclaim. The fruits of a marriage (between TAF core members Win Butler and Régine Chassagne) and several tragic deaths, Funeral is not unreasonably shot through with

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1108662215270007572005-02-07T17:18:00.000Z2005-03-03T15:45:03.190Z

The Go! Team - Flash Lady --------------------The Go! Team have a secret weapon. Hidden among the several hundred million samples making up Thunder, Lightning, Strike – the London/Brighton five-piece’s cheerfully overwhelming cut’n’paste car-crash pop album – are some actual vocals courtesy of a girl calling herself Ninja. When STARSANDHEROES arrives at London’s 100 Club to talk to The Go! Team,

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1108054096928245562004-12-31T16:37:00.000Z2005-02-17T18:36:03.273Z

TOP 50 ALBUMS OF 2004---------------------STARSANDHEROES presents its completely self-indulgent and doubtless not at all comprehensive list of the albums which have set its world on fire this year. Did we miss anything? Probably. Tell us then: starsandheroes@gmail.comAnimals That Swim – Faded Glamour: The Best Of Animals That SwimThe Barbs – Lupine PeroxideMara Carlyle – The LovelyChasing Dorotea

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1106218716662560572004-11-09T10:27:00.000Z2005-01-20T11:13:50.093Z

The Magic Numbers @ London Barfly - live review 22nd Sep 2004 -------------------- When a band as boldly breathtaking as The Magic Numbers shows up, those unprepared are left foundering, wondering what just happened – in simple terms, 2005’s best band just played 2004’s best gig. Convivial singer/guitarist Romeo delivers heartbreakingly pretty, musically intricate, emotionally powerful songs

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1106219146798770472004-11-08T09:59:00.000Z2005-01-31T16:26:28.653Z

The Verve – This Is Music – The Singles 1992-1998 album review --------------------- When Verve followed their impressive first three singles (most notably the magnificent “Gravity Grave”) with debut album A Storm In Heaven in 1993, it was wrongly attached by a straw-grasping press to the tail-end of the shoegazing movement populated by southern mimsies like Slowdive. The reality was darker,

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1100172373134018642004-10-27T09:24:00.000+01:002004-11-11T11:28:23.300Z

John Peel RIP -------------------- Here's John Peel: Interviewer: Do you believe in God? John Peel: No, not really - I'd like to, because I'd like to believe in an afterlife. Obviously the older you get the more you think about these things - not because I want to spend all eternity singing hymns, but I'd like to sort things out with my dad, apologise for being a crap son and find out whether

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1098341456892187702004-10-10T07:41:00.000+01:002004-10-21T07:52:58.486+01:00

The Futureheads - Future Perfect -------------------- When your first American tour is supporting 2004’s biggest UK success story and the plaudits are flying in at a frankly embarrassing rate, you’ve every right to be feeling pretty chipper. STARSANDHEROES catches up with extremely cheerful FUTUREHEADS singer ROSS MILLARD, on the road with Franz Ferdinand. Hi Ross. Where are you and what are

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1095408648096440392004-09-05T09:03:00.000+01:002004-09-17T09:10:48.096+01:00

Interpol - The Antics Roadshow -------------------- STARSANDHEROES talks to Paul Banks and Carlos D from INTERPOL In the two years since Matador released Interpol’s rightly acclaimed debut album Turn On The Bright Lights, something slightly surprising has happened. An army of fans has developed, beguiled by the New Yorkers’ grand sonic gestures, floridly evocative lyrics and distinct sartorial

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1094552338215842972004-09-01T11:15:00.000+01:002004-09-07T11:18:58.216+01:00

The Delgados – Universal Audio album review -------------------- The Delgados’ 2002 Hate album was hailed as the one to grant the Glasgow four-piece mainstream acceptance and a place at the high table with Coldplay et al. One Mercury Prize nomination later (no, they didn’t win), and not much has actually changed. Hate failed to cross over; meanwhile, Snow Patrol – of all unlikely people – have

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1093456378935791622004-08-02T18:19:00.000+01:002004-09-01T13:59:58.813+01:00

The Polyphonic Spree - The Heavy Heavy Monster Sound -------------------- STARSANDHEROES takes in THE POLYPHONIC SPREE experience with frontman TIM DELAUGHTER Tim DeLaughter is a wanted man. Not by the police (at least, we don’t think so). Not for crimes against laundrettes – although heaven help whomever has to wash 24 multi-coloured robes every night. Not even – and this comes as some

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1090932841118140952004-05-20T13:13:00.000+01:002004-09-01T14:02:26.036+01:00

Ash - Melting Point-------------------- 10 years in the business, No.1 albums, awards aplenty, a best-selling singles compilation, and all before their 30th birthdays? Blimey. ASH talk to STARSANDHEROES about moving on, dinosaurs and being ‘almost professional’. It’s 8pm on a prematurely humid Sunday evening on London’s Oxford Street, and already a handful of variously-attired, surprisingly

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1094477317578735442004-04-28T14:22:00.000+01:002004-09-06T14:29:58.266+01:00

Lali Puna - Faking The Books album review -------------------- Everything goes pop in the end. There’s only so much dicking about to be done, on the esoteric, asymmetric fringes of the avant-garde, by anyone with a smidgen of humanity in them, before something snaps deep within and the little voice inside one’s head screams, "Where are the tunes? Fucksake, where are the tunes?". Making

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1090933913247611732004-04-15T14:04:00.000+01:002004-09-01T14:06:36.950+01:00

The Divine Comedy - Friends of the Earth -------------------- With startling return to form new album Absent Friends putting THE DIVINE COMEDY once more into the baroque pop spotlight, singer NEIL HANNON talks to STARSANDHEROES about sloth, astute ears and karaoke. Hello Neil. Where ever have you been? I’ve been all over the shop! I spent quite a while in America, but then again, that was quite

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1109866464396811002004-03-03T16:08:00.000Z2005-03-03T16:17:59.540Z

Auf der Maur - Sweet Melissa--------------------STARSANDHEROES talks to former Hole and Smashing Pumpkins bassist MELISSA AUF DER MAUR about her solo album, living up to her name and three-dimensional sound.On meeting a musician who has spent six of the last eight years working closely with not one, but two, of rock’s most notorious egomaniac control freaks, it’s reasonable to assume that person

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1085849831438806992004-03-01T17:27:00.000Z2004-09-01T14:10:47.446+01:00

cLOUDDEAD - 'Dead In The Water -------------------- With new album Ten, cLOUDDEAD have mastered the uneasy art of blending hip-hop with post-rock. So why are they calling it a day? STARSANDHEROES talks to the band's DOSEONE. If the concept of progressive hip-hop curdles your Nutriment, look away now. cLOUDDEAD have been making precisely that for the last three years, mixing hyperspeed

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1083005676073357342004-02-16T19:16:00.000Z2004-11-11T11:34:51.570Z

Living Things - Wake The Fuck Up -------------------- St Louis, Missouri isn't high on the list of desirable places to live in America - a predilection for right-wing politics, hard-line Christian fundamentalism and the resulting curfew-laden nanny state have combined to make life for young free-spirited people fairly unbearable. So when you and your brothers look like The Lost Boys compared to

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1079014708456572932004-02-16T14:18:00.000Z2004-11-11T11:39:10.200Z

Madrugada - True Grit -------------------- First, a little context. Until three years ago, Norwegian music had been nigh-on ignored in the UK. A-Ha hadn't been news since the Eighties, and the only time the country showed up in the UK press was when a feud between black metal bands got out of hand and somebody died. Then came Kings Of Convenience, swiftly followed by Royksopp, St Thomas and

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1083082800592336352004-01-08T16:51:00.000Z2004-11-11T11:45:02.993Z

Lambchop - Cmon My Selector -------------------- In these high-fallutin' times, it's worth pointing out that there's only one letter's difference between concept and conceit; that lofty ideas, as often as not, teeter on a knife-edge between well-intentioned ambition and mawkish pretentiousness. So when news emerged that Nashville country/soul/lounge/kitchen sink aesthetes Lambchop, fronted by

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1073393582063849152003-12-16T12:53:00.000Z2004-08-26T14:48:28.496+01:00

The Von Bondies - interview feature Hard Core Pawn The Von Bondies are relaxing in a hotel room a stone's throw from London tourist trap Trafalgar Square. The Detroit four-piece are in animated conversation, despite having endured a full day of interviews and a guest DJ spot at Alan McGee's Death Disco club night the previous evening. Demure red-haired guitarist Marcie Bolen is lolling on the

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1073394916176717182003-11-06T13:15:00.000Z2004-04-26T20:02:16.950+01:00

*LIVE REVIEW* Augie March @ The Garage, London Mon 3rd November 2003 "I love you like I love my own skin" is a baldly emotional sentiment you don't hear very often. But then again, Augie March make the kind of music you don't hear very often either - sadly literally, since the Melbourne five-piece's two fantastic albums are extremely hard to find in the UK (the balance will be redressed by the

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1066839364649188362003-10-22T17:16:00.000+01:002005-02-04T16:12:08.250Z

Spiritualized - Grace Under Pressure -------------------- “Is that your first question?” It seemed sensible enough at the time, but Jason Pierce looks troubled. His eyes widen incredulously, one eyebrow raises slightly and he lets out a gentle laugh. Acting on information received, your correspondent has just asked Pierce why he’s given up smoking and how a life free of nicotine is treating

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1078938476128974472003-10-13T17:07:00.000+01:002004-04-26T20:00:25.640+01:00

*LIVE REVIEW* Hope of the States @ ULU, London 10th October 2003 Sometimes it’s all about the violins. Hope Of The States’ violinist Mike is one of no less than eight people onstage for most of tonight, and somehow manages to drag the crowd’s gaze further towards him with every slide of his bow. Ruffled, cutely hobbit-like singer Sam stands centre-stage (OK, he sits at the keyboard on occasion)

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1078937950769336022003-09-17T16:59:00.000+01:002004-04-26T20:01:03.653+01:00

*ALBUM REVIEW* Boom Boom Satellites - Photon Three or four years into the new millennium (depending on your point of view) and the now-established musical principles of eclecticism and mix'n'match inclusionism have been twisted and manipulated into ever more challenging shapes. Why stick to one solitary genre – bo-ring! – when today's audiences are quite prepared for an onslaught of

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-1078937313297191332003-06-20T16:48:00.000+01:002004-04-26T20:01:37.590+01:00

*ALBUM REVIEW* Mogwai - Happy Songs For Happy People I've always found it impossible to like Mogwai. Since first listening to "Summer" on a crackly 7" back in 1996, I've see-sawed between hating loving them - they were so bloody trendy, y'know, the new unorthodoxy, the officially sanctioned antidote to Britpop's cult of personality - and loving hating them - all their songs sound the frickin'

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4045045.post-935800772003-05-01T07:04:00.000+01:002003-05-01T08:53:20.000+01:00

*THINGS* Hail to the thieves! It’s heartening to see a bit of gung-ho, sod-‘em-all pilfering now and then, especially from an institution as august as the ABC. Three recent truths: 1. Madonna puts dummy album tracks all over the Internet to deter file-sharers – apparently containing her bellowing the phrase “what the FUCK are you doing?” - how long before that shows up sampled on a bootleg? 2.

Charliehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06584370001950756139noreply@blogger.com